Airbnb Announces Rob Chesnut as General Counsel

SAN FRANCISCO—Airbnb, the world’s leading community driven hospitality company, today announced that Rob Chesnut will join Airbnb’s management team as General Counsel, reporting to Chief Business and Legal Affairs Officer Belinda Johnson. Chesnut will be responsible for driving the legal strategy of the company and managing Airbnb’s growing legal and compliance teams around the world.

“As part of our search, we were looking for a senior lawyer with experience at a fast-growth, mission-driven organization,” Johnson said. “It was also important to find someone who was not only familiar with regulatory issues, but who also understands how to think creatively and with a community mindset about global challenges and innovations. We found this and more with Rob.”

Before joining Airbnb, Rob served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Chegg, where he oversaw the company’s corporate and legal affairs in its work to make higher education more affordable and accessible for students. Prior to Chegg, Rob served as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for LiveOps, Inc., a leading provider of call center outsourcing services.

Rob spent almost 10 years with eBay, first as the Deputy General Counsel in charge of U.S. legal affairs, and later as the founder of eBay’s Trust and Safety Department, where he oversaw approximately 2000 employees globally and led the development of the company’s global fraud detection and regulatory infrastructure. With extensive experience in the U.S. Justice Department, Rob received the Department’s John Marshall award for litigation, and the CIA’s Outstanding Service Medallion. Rob earned his B.A. from the University of Virginia and is a graduate of Harvard Law School.

“I’m thrilled to be able to apply my professional expertise to an area I care about deeply, fostering human connections and building economic opportunity for more people and communities,” said Chesnut. “I’ve already experienced firsthand how Airbnb can increase real connection and build trust among different cultures. I look forward to applying my expertise and passion to this global community.”